The present invention relates to the field of devices for use with a laundering process, and, more particularly, to the field of laundry devices for storing dye transfer inhibiting compounds.
The laundering of colored garments is a delicate operation. Dye bleeding from fabrics and dye transfer between fabrics during the laundering process can lead to the undesirable result of color alteration of the laundered garments. The use of dye transfer inhibiting (DTI) compounds is known in the art as a means for reducing the effects of dye transfer between laundered articles. These DTI compounds, which can be provided in the form of polymers, have the ability to complex or absorb the fugitive dyes washed out of fabrics before the dyes have the opportunity to attach to other articles in the wash. Some DTI compounds include vinylpyrrolidone polymers, polyamine N-oxide polymers and copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole. These polymers can be water soluble or substantially water insoluble, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,221 issued to Van Leeuwen et al. on Jun. 15, 1999, the substance of which is fully incorporated herein by reference, and can be added directly to the wash water if desired. However, when too much of a DTI compound is present in the wash water, it can negate the effectiveness of laundry brighteners or fluorescent whitening agents as well as negatively impact the cleaning performance of a laundry detergent. Excessive amounts of a DTI compound in the wash water may also cause deterioration of non-extraneous dyes present on the items being laundered. In other words, even dyes that do not ordinarily give rise to bleeding in the wash water can be attacked by a DTI compound, resulting in faded or non-uniform appearances of the laundered items.
It is also known in the art to chemically bond dye scavenging compounds to a substrate, such as by covalently bonding a polyquaternary ammonium compound to a cellulosic material as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,412 to Ziskind. U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,453 to Claiborne also describes an article impregnated with a dye scavenging compound. In practice, however, it has been determined that the above-described dye-scavenging approach requires an impractical size for the substrate to reduce bleeding to manageable or even acceptable levels, and is restrictive in terms of possible substrate candidates that are compatible with the dye scavenging compounds.
Yet another approach taken to reduce dye transfer during a wash process is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,264 to Wattiez et al., wherein articles subject to dye bleeding are physically separated from the remaining laundry articles by an envelope. This approach, however, can suffer from the inconvenience of having to sort items into a confining laundry envelope, resulting in decreased cleaning due to restricted movement of the enveloped items through the wash water. In addition, this approach does not appear to provide a mechanism for restricting dye transfer among the articles within the envelope.
Therefore, there is a desire to provide methods and devices for delivering dye transfer inhibiting benefits with a simplified laundry device. Further, there is a desire to provide a laundry device which eliminates contact between the laundered articles and the DTI compound. Yet further, there is a desire to provide a laundry device which can deliver DTI benefits as well as dispense a laundry detergent. Still yet further, there is a desire to provide a laundry device which can deliver DTI benefits, wherein the DTI compound can be replaced so that the laundry device is useable over multiple washing cycles.
A laundry device for use with a washing machine is provided. The laundry device includes a bag storing a water-insoluble DTI compound. The bag includes a plurality of apertures allowing wash water to flow through the bag but which substantially prevent the water-insoluble DTI compound from exiting the bag during use. The laundry device can further include a container having a compartment for receiving and dispensing a dosed amount of detergent during use.